Bottle cap



M y 1936. L. P. M005 El AL 2,040,325

BOTTLE'CAPI Filed March 13, 1954 IN mvr 0H5 BY MW,

A TTORNEY Patented May 12, 1936 UNITED STATES BOTTLE CAP Leo r. Moos,Moorhead, and Frank L. Fredrick son nobbinsdaie, Minn; said Fredricksonaslignor to said Moos Application March 13, 1934, Serial No. 715,260

(Claims.

The present invention relates to an. improvement in bottle caps, andmore particularly to a bottle cap having the general characteristics ofthe familiar crown cap, but which may be read- 5 iiy removed without theuse of a bottle opener.

In the present crown caps, used almost universally as bottle closuresfor beverages and other liquids, particularly where such liquids areunder gaseous pressure in the bottle, it is necessary to use a bottleopener to remove the cap from the bottle. Frequently, when it is desiredto remove a crown cap from a bottle and no opener is at hand, the cap ishooked over a piece of metal or wood and the bottle pulled downwardly inan attempt to remove the cap. This frequently results inbreaking oil aportion of the neck of the bottle, and furthermore it is estimated thatthousands of dollars worth of furniture and woodwork, particularly inhotels, has been marred in thus attempting to remove bottle caps.

An object of the present invention is to make an improved and simplifiedbottle cap which will securely seal a bottle while in use, but may bereadily removed without the use of an opening instrument.

In order to attain this object, there is provided, in accordance withone feature of the invention, a composite bottle cap having an annularrim portion divided at at least one point and having a corrugateddepending flange adapted to grip the neck of a bottle to hold the devicein position thereon. A releasable locking member is positioned tooverlie the divided portion and to engage crimped portions in thedepending flange to releasably retain the divided portion againstseparation.

These and other features of the invention will be more fully brought outin the following description and the accompanying drawing, where- Figure1 is a plan view of a bottle cap embodying the present invention in aclosed, or sealing, position.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

I'lgure3isaplan viewofanannularretaining member.

Figure 4isaviewsimilartoFigure2 witha retaining member in raised,releasing position;

and

Flgure5isaplanviewofablankofsheetmaterial used as a closure element andreleasable locking element.

Referring to the drawing in detail, an annular member i has a dependingflange portion lindented in a manner customary for crown bottle caps.The annular member 6 is divided as at 8.

A combined closure and locking member 9 has a pair of circular endportions ill and ii, with a neck portion 12 interconnecting the endportions 5 i0 and II. The portion iii is positioned interiorly of theannular member 6, and the neck portion I2 is passed downwardly andaround the depending flange portion 1 of the annular member 6, andthence upwardly along its outer face, 10 the portion Ii closelyoverlying the top of the assembled cap, as best shown in Figure 2. Theportion I2 is crimped into engagement with the indentations in theflange I of the bottle cap by means of a suitable die mechanismmotshown, in 16 a manner which those familiar with the art will readilyunderstand.

A cork, or other suitable sealing member I; is inserted within theassembled bottle cap, in a manner customary in crown cap practice. When20 thus assembled the cap is to all intents and purposes an ordinarytype of crown. cap and may be readily handled in any capping machineadapted for the capping ofbottles by the ordinary crown type of caps.The cap has no projecting 25 points or corners to catch on clothing orcontainers, and in the normal handling of bottles capped with thepresent type of cap, the bottle is as securely capped as would be thecase if an ordinary type of crown cap were employed.

To open the device, the portion II is raised by inserting the flngernail beneath it and raising it to the position shown in Figure 4,whereupon the crimps in the neck portion II are removed frominterlocking engagement with the crimps as in the depending flange I,thereby permitting separation at the division I of the annular member iand freeing the flange from engagement with the bottle neck, as shown inFigure4. The cap may then be readily raised from its position 40 on theneck of the bottle by means of the portion I Where a highly carbonatedbeverage, or beer, is contained in thebottle, and it is desired torelease the pressure gradually from the contents 46 of the bottle toprevent excessive foaming, the thumb of the user may be placed on theportion Iii as soon as the portion Ii has been raised sufllciently topermit the insertion of ones thumb on the portion II, but before theneck portion i2 tained gases at a rate suitable to the occasion. to

The portion ll provides a suitable advertising space both on its upperand lower faces, as does also the upper face of the portion l0, so thatthree advertising spaces are provided by the present constructioninstead of the customary one afiorded by the upper face of the ordinarycrown cap.

Various modifications of the invention will be readily apparent to thoseversed in the art, and, it is therefore not desired to limit the scopeof the invention, except as set forth in the hereto appended claims.

The device comprises a simple, inexpensive bottle closure having all theadvantages of the ordinary crown cap, but without the difficult openingcharacteristics inherent in the present crown caps.

After the bottle has been opened the device can be used again forsealing the bottle by forcing the divided portions together to theirnormal position, and folding the portion ll down to bring the crimpedportions of the neck portion l2 again into interlocking engagement withthe crimps in the flange I. In this respect the cap is even better as are-sealing element than the ordinary crown cap, since the ordinary crowncap is usually deformed by the opener in removing the cap from thebottle.

While in the drawing, for the purpose of illustration, the invention hasbeen shown applied to an ordinary glass bottle, it will be evident thatthe invention may be used with any kind of bottle-like container withwhich it will function. The word bottle" throughout this application isused in its broad significance and not as applying only to ordinaryglass bottles. The bottle with which the invention is used may be of theglass type shown in the drawing, or may be of the commercial metal cantype or of other construction as long as it embodies the mouth featurein connection with which this invention, with its resultant advantages,may be used.

We claim:

1. In combination with a bottle, a metal closing cap constructed toreceive the mouth of the bottle, the top of said cap being centrally cutaway and having a slit in its sidewall, a pair of disks, one fitted intothe top of the interior ofthe cap and closing the opening in the 5 topthereof, and the other extending over the cap, and a neck connectingsaid disks and covering the slit in the side of the cap, said connectingneck being crimped together with the side wall of the cap around theneck of the bottle.

2. In combination with a bottle, a cap receiving the mouth of thebottle,said cap having its top centrally cut away with a. slit extending fromsaid cut away portion through the side wall of the cap, removable -meansfor said cap 1 comprising a disk member fitting inside the cap andclosing the opening in the top thereof, a connected disk extendinginwardly over the top of the cap, the connection between said diskscovering the slit in the side wall of the cap, and 2 together with theside wall of the cap, being crimped in looking position around the mouthof the bottle.

3. A bottle cap having an annular flange adapted to receive the mouth ofa bottle, said 2 flange having a slit therein to normally release saidflange from gripping engagement with said bottle mouth, said flangebeing indented adjacent said slit and a fastening element positionedacross said slit, andhaving releasable, 3 interlocking engagement withsaid indented portion of said flange to have gripping engagement withsaid bottle mouth.

4. A bottle cap having an annular flange adapted to receive the mouth ofa bottle, said 3 cap being formed with a slit on one s ide to permit therelease of said flange from gripping engagement with said bottle mouth,and a fastening element positioned across said slit and havingreleasable, interlocking engagement with the inner and outer peripheryof said flange upon opposite sides of said slit.

LEO P. MOOS. FRANK L. FREDRICKSON.

